This month, a hot new craft beer bar will arrive in the neighborhood. Owners Barry and Pauline Lowenthal plan to open the doors of their pub, The Brass Tap, on January 9, with the grand opening celebration scheduled for the January 20–21 weekend.
Located in the Fitzgerald building between Two Boots Pizza and the Mt. Royal Light Rail stop, this upscale craft beer bar will offer 60 different local and regional beers on tap, plus unique pub food and a large selection of wines & spirits.
Barry grew up in the restaurant business, getting his first restaurant job at 14, and then opening a pizza place at 18. He sold that business when he was 22, but soon realized that restaurant bug had bitten him. Ever since he’s been on the lookout for his next spot.
It’s been a long wait. After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Hotel Administration, Barry’s career took a detour, spending the past thirteen years running a carpet cleaning company in the Washington, D.C. area. Meanwhile, his wife Pauline pursued a career in higher education, most recently serving as Dean of Students at Notre Dame of Maryland University.
Meanwhile, Barry kept dreaming. Friends introduced Barry to craft brewing, and he learned how great a beer could be. He picked up the hobby of home brewing as a way to research the special world of hand-crafted suds.
Finally, the time came to take the plunge. With the support of his wife Pauline, Barry convinced his his brother Michael, another restaurant veteran, to move to Georgia to Maryland to help him open The Brass Tap.
Though The Brass Tap is part of a national franchise, each bar is locally owned and operated. For the Lowenthals, this means a hands-on, family-run operation. Barry explained, “We chose Baltimore because we love the city. We want to be involved in the neighborhood and the greater Baltimore community to make our city an awesome place to live.”
They plan to have regular live music, happy hours on weekdays from 2–7 pm, and brunch on weekends, plus special parties for festive days, like St. Patrick’s Day and Oktoberfest. The Brass Tap will be the local place to go for Baltimore Beer Week, as well as a welcome watering spot during ArtScape.
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